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American politics, a legendary Canadian anthropologist and some of today’s best mystery and crime writers — the 2016 Vancouver Writers Fest has all that and more. More than 85 events will take place on Granville Island Oct. 17 to 23, including solo talks, group and one-on-one interviews, and panel discussions with more than 100 noted […]

Murder, mayhem and music. It’s not the usual combination, but there is some sense in it. Mystery writers who specialize in crime thrillers have created characters for whom music helps define their personality and possibly is an inspiration. Peter Robinson has titled several of his books after rock albums or songs. Ian Rankin has a […]

Metro Vancouver mayors and the B.C. government are in a standoff over who’s responsible for funding transportation after the region’s voters — many in transit-deficient areas south of the Fraser — roundly rejected a half-a-percentage-point sales tax hike to help pay for a $7.5-billion 10-year plan.

Hundreds of millions of environmentalists will think “it’s about time” when they hear more evangelical Christians are becoming serious about tackling climate change. If any group has been prone to denying that humans are causing global warming, polls show it is conservative Christians, particularly those who predominate in the Republican-dominated U.S. Congress, not to mention in political spheres in Canada.

Metro Vancouver residents understand that our region’s high quality of life depends on a healthy environment. Our challenge is to plan for the future in a way that maintains or enhances this quality of life while preventing degradation of the environment that supports us all. Planning for such a future is also at the heart of why we should vote Yes in Metro Vancouver’s transit and transportation plebiscite. It is one of the most important decisions we can make to improve our environment.

The Yes coalition in the upcoming transportation plebiscite officially launched its campaign Thursday, with a promise to focus its efforts on a “pedestrian ground war” over the next six weeks. Iain Black, president of the Vancouver Board of Trade, who will co-chair the so-called Better Transit and Transportation Coalition, said the initial efforts will be to mobilize the group, which will reach out to voters through social media such as Twitter and Facebook, while also distributing pamphlets at transit stops and SkyTrains to highlight what it calls “one of the most important decisions facing our region for the next generation.”

Peter Robinson’s latest novel has a little more gore, but otherwise it’s the same clean writing, brilliant characterization and subtle plot twists that readers know and love from his 21 other Alan Banks mysteries. The title, Abattoir Blues (McClelland & Stewart), might be the first clue that blood, guts and a stun gun used to kill animals would play a role. Abattoir is another word for slaughterhouse.

Neil Young’s recent rant against the oilsands makes me think it’s time we Canadians stand up for our country. Young left Canada more than 40 years ago. He lives on a ranch in heavy-oil producing California and holds concerts made possible by fossil fuel, but doesn’t appear to recognize irony when he sees it.

It’s impossible to name the top books of 2013, not least because I haven’t read all the possible contenders. So what follows are 10 books I enjoyed this year, from all genres, with an emphasis on Canadian titles and titles not mentioned on other lists.

The 21st Inspector Banks novel Children of the Revolution begins with a former college lecturer found dead on a deserted railway line near his remote home. It’s unclear at first that he was murdered, but when £5,000 is found in his pocket, suspicions are raised.

Discord between the Tories and environmentalists began when the federal natural resources minister maligned environmental groups as radicals. It escalated with the introduction of Bill C-38, a package of new laws, some directly targeting charities and environmental protections. Now it’s war.

When we think of Canada, some of the first things that come to mind are powerful images of our rich natural legacy — towering forests, rolling plains and abundant lakes and rivers. These wild spaces appeal to our sense of freedom, the feeling that anything is possible, that we can create our own destiny.

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